Update: Two Israeli Soldiers Killed in West Bank Attack

Two Israelis were killed – one a soldier, the other a Rabbi, and two other Israelis were wounded on Sunday morning, in a shooting near the settlement of Ariel in Salfit, in the northern West Bank.

The Rabbi who was killed was identified asÂ Rabbi Ahiad Ettinger, 47. The soldier who was killed wasÂ Lt. Gal Keidan, 19.

According to a spokesman for the Israeli army, a stabbing and shooting operation took place at a military checkpoint near the settlement of Ariel,Â while the shooter managed to withdraw from the area, whereupon military forces began searching for him.

Preliminary details of the shooting said that a young Palestinian carried out a stabbing attack on an Israeli soldier, then seized his weapon and fired it.

He then allegedly opened fire at an Israeli settler who was driving a car, took the car and headedÂ towards the Barkan settlement’s Industrial Zone, where he abandoned the car and fled by foot.

Israeli forces then launched a wide campaign in search for the shooter.

The army has also closed roads leading the northern cities of Qalqilia and Nablus, Al Ray further reports.

According to a report by the Israeli Ynetnews, Rabbi Ettinger was in a car and initially drove past the scene. He then turned his car around and drew his weapon, and was about to fire at the suspect when he was shot in the head. He remained in critical condition until his death two days later on March 19th.

Ettinger was a father of twelve, including one who is currently serving in the Israeli military.

On Sunday morning, one Israeli soldier was killed and two Israelis were wounded at an entrance to Ariel, the largest Israeli settlement in the West Bank. The attack was allegedly carried out by a Palestinian who fled the scene.

The location of the attack is just north of Salfit village, where, four days earlier, invading Israeli forces killed 23-year old Mohammad Jamil Shahin and wounded 40 other Palestinians.

According to Israeli media sources, an unknown Palestinian allegedly arrived at the Ariel Junction checkpoint and stabbed an Israeli soldier, killing him. The assailant then allegedly picked up the soldierâ€™s gun and shot another soldier at the checkpoint.

Israeli sources state that the Palestinian assailant then began firing at Israeli vehicles driving by on the Israeli-only road in front of the settlement.

The assailant then allegedly stole a car of an Israeli settler and drove off carrying the soldierâ€™s gun, arriving a couple minutes later to the Gitai Junction checkpoint.

He then allegedly abandoned the car and fled on foot toward the nearby Palestinian village of Burkin.

One of the two wounded Israelis is in critical condition at Beilinson Hospital in Petach Tikvah, where both wounded Israelis were taken.

The Israeli soldier who was killed in the attack has been identified as 19 year old Lt. Gal Keidan, from Beer Sheba in southern Israel.

The two wounded Israelis have not been identified, but Israeli medical sources have said that one is a 20-year old male, and the other is a 35-year old male.

Following the attack, Israeli forces immediately sealed the area and launched a massive invasion of Burkin, Salfit and other area villages, preventing thousands of Palestinians from leaving their homes, go to work, or conduct their daily lives as the military invasion is in progress.

According to the Yeshiva World newspaper, the Israeli military is using a protocol they call â€śPressure Cookerâ€ť, which involves Israeli army â€śpayloaders, large armored vehicles, elite forces, the Oketz K9 unit, drones, and a chopper hovering overheadâ€ť. The protocol also authorizes the demolition of a building on the assailant, if the Israeli army decides that he is inside.

The Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu stated that he was sure that the Israeli military would find those responsible for the attack and â€śbring them to justice as we have in all previous cases.â€ť

This marks the second Israeli to be killed by a Palestinian in 2019. During that same time period, 26 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli soldiers, including 8 children.